Dear Christine,
Sometimes we are extremely hard on our young people. We tend to bunch all of them together, and this is unfair. Many have positive goals and plans for the future, and live morally upright lives.
I’ll like to take time to share the following experience with you. It’s not my own experience, but that of someone who felt it necessary to put it in print.
Here goes:
“I would like to share an experience that proves the truth of two facts. The first is that we should not judge a book by its cover and second, young people are great human beings.
“I was driving home from the hospital after undergoing several cardiovascular tests. I found myself in the middle of rush hour.
“The traffic was terrible. A car in the next lane began honking. I looked over and saw three young women pointing at me. They yelled that my right rear tyre was flat.
“I was a bit suspicious because the girls were wearing earrings in all sorts of places where one doesn’t normally wear them, and one girl had bleached “spiked” hair. They appeared rather ‘unsavoury’.
“With some apprehension, I exited the right lane. The young women followed me to a nearby gas station. Once I saw my tyre was indeed flat, I knew I needed help.
“I looked around for a pay phone, but couldn’t find one. The three young women checked my tyre and determined there were no obvious holes or punctures. They refilled it with air, tested it, and assured me it would probably be okay until I could get to the dealership where the tyre had been purchased.
“Throughout the entire scenario, they were friendly, courteous and extremely helpful.
“I was dumbfounded, feeling more than a little guilty for my preconceived ideas about them.
“They said they had followed me from a distance, in an effort to catch up to me so they could warn me about my tyre. I offered them money but they refused.
“We often hear about the misdeeds of a few disturbed young people. It’s time more people spoke up about the good things young people do.”
– Hailing For The Young
Dear Hailing For The Young,
The mere fact that you took time to share the experience of someone else, tells me you honestly care about the youth.
I totally agree with you that we [who are much older] tend to be a little hard on our young people. We put most of them “in the same boat” – so to speak, without truly talking time to discover their positive traits, understand their needs, or listen to what they have to say.
We simply forget we were once teenagers with faults, who, made unwise decisions and needed people in our lives who understood “where we were at.”
As adults, we should be on the side lines hailing for our children, nieces, nephews and young people on the whole. When they fall we should be there to catch them and help put them back on track. We should also live by example and make their journey through life less burdensome.
Thanks for sharing.
– CHRISTINE
